


Keep Me Steady

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Children of War [14]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Romance, THE DATE CHAPTER
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 22:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8031202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: “You know something?” Yuya says, “We saved four worlds. We stopped a madman from destroying everything in this universe. I lost so many friends, I lost time with my parents, you lost your whole childhood and your innocence. We’re going to need a lot more time to recover from that. And I think, that after all that, if the world has the audacity to judge you for wanting to be adopted and then judge both of us for being in a relationship, then we have the right to tell those people to leave us alone.”





	Keep Me Steady

Yuri hears the door open and hears it bounce off the wall from the force of it. ‘ _Yuto,_ ’ he guesses.

“We’re not hearing any talking!” Yuto says crossly.

‘ _I was right,_ ’ Yuri thinks.

“That’s because I’m sleeping,” Yuri mutters.

“Oh,” Yugo says. “Well…sleep later, this is the time for talking.”

Yuri groans, and it’s a sound that Yuya echoes.

“It’s been literally one day,” Yuya says, and Yuri feels him sit up. “We’re not even going out until Saturday.”

“Why are you sleeping so much?” Sora asks.

Yuri ignores the question. “You all better not be in my room.”

“We’re not,” Sora says. “We’re in the door. And this is Yuya’s room.”

“Get out of my doorway,” Yuri commands, ignoring the fact that this is, indeed, Yuya’s room.

“He’s sleeping because he’s healing,” Yoko says.

“Really, mom, you too?” Yuya asks.

“No, I’m shooing them away,” She says.

“But they’re not talking!” Yugo tattles.

“Sleep is important, too,” Yoko says. “Go on boys, you’re still grounded and all of your rooms need cleaning. Get to it.”

The intruding trio groan, and Yuri chuckles. He hears soft footsteps and then a warm hand presses against his forehead.

“How are you feeling?” Yoko asks quietly.

Yuri opens his eyes. His face is half smushed against Yuya’s chest, and he turns his head so he can see Yoko better.

“My hand still hurts a little,” Yuri says, “My head, too.”

Yoko brushes his bangs back. “Well, you didn’t exactly sleep soundly in the hospital. Do you want a sleep aide?”

Yuri shakes his head.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” Yoko says. She kisses Yuri’s cheek, then Yuya’s.

“And you,” She says to Yuya, “You do have to go back to school tomorrow.”

Tomorrow is Monday, Yuri remembers. He pouts at Yoko, ready to turn on the puppy eyes, but she shakes her head.

“No, Yuri, he really does. He skipped out on Friday. And you have your online lessons anyway, which I want you to try for.”

Yuri sighs, “Oh, alright.”

Yoko leaves and Yuri snuggles back against Yuya’s chest with a soft whine of, “Well, I tried.”

Yuya rubs Yuri’s back. “Yeah, but I didn’t expect to get off of school. I missed enough of it.”

“If it were up to me, none of us would go to school,” Yuri says.

Yuya chuckles. Then he asks, “Yuri, what’s your dream job?”

Yuri is confused. “My what?”

Yuya explains, “If you could be anything at all, anything in the world, what profession would you have?”

“I…I don’t know,” Yuri says. “I never thought about it.”

“Really? Never?” Yuya asks.

Yuri shakes his head. “I never had a reason to.” When he was a child, all he wanted was a family. When he was in Academia, all his options were limited to Leo Akaba’s army. Now, even though he does well in his online lessons, he’s not sure where he could possibly go in this society. All his long term goals are centered around someday functioning like a proper human being.

Yuya is saying something, but Yuri doesn’t listen. He interrupts, “I guess I would be you.”

Yuya sputters. “Me?”

Yuri’s face is hot. He wriggles back and Stitch picks his head up, blinking at Yuri sleepily. The dog is curled between Yuri and Yuya, and Yuri pets his head until he lays down again.

“I just…want to be like you,” Yuri says. “Like, in terms of being able to connect to people. To talk to them and have them like me. Be confident in myself again, but in a good way, one that doesn’t involve how many people are afraid of me. And I guess, hopeful like you.”

“Yuri…” Yuya says, his voice breaking, “That’s so sweet…and so sad.”

“I know,” Yuri says.

“People do like you, you know,” Yuya says.

“People besides you and Yuzu and everyone,” Yuri says. “Like, strangers.” He tries to change the subject. “What do you want to be?”

“A dueltainer, like my dad,” Yuya says. “I’ve always wanted to do that, and I’ve dueled for life or death enough in my life, I want to get back to dueling for fun.”

“Well then, you’ve already succeeded,” Yuri says. “Don’t you remember all the people you changed during the war? You’re already a dueltainer, but not like your dad. You’re a dueltainer like Yuya.”

Yuya lets out a strangled cry and press his face into Yuri’s hair. “Oh god,” he says, “You are the cutest thing ever, do you know that?”

Yuri squirms. “I am not cute and if you get my hair in your mouth I will kick you right out of this bed!”

“It’s my bed!” Yuya says.

Yuri shoves his fingers under Yuya’s arm and smirks when he screeches. “Then I’ll tickle you out of your bed,” Yuri promises over Yuya’s laughter.

 

On Saturday, just over a week after the incident, Yuri goes to the hospital with Yoko to get his stitches looked at while Yuya stays home and does his homework. Yuri is told that the stitches need to stay for a few more days, but the cuts seem to be healing well. A plastic surgeon looks over the cuts and tells Yuri that the largest one is most certainly going to leave a scar, but he might be able to lessen the appearance of it if Yuri is interested. Yuri says he’ll think about it, and spends almost the entire car ride home staring at his hand in silence.

“Are you okay, honey?” Yoko asks as they near home.

“It’s just ironic,” Yuri says. “I’m the only one who came out of the war physically unscathed. Now I have scars just like everyone else.”

Yoko gasps. “Yuri…”

“I know,” Yuri says quietly, “I shouldn’t think that way.”

Yoko’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry that you feel like that,” she says. “But I know your brothers, your friends, and Yuya don’t feel that way. And you should probably discuss that with Dr. Aki.”

Yuri sighs. Stitch paws his arm and whines, and Yuri pets him. He knows that a lot of what he feels is irrational, and it worries people when he voices those kinds of things, but sometimes Yuri just wants to stew in misery for a little while. He can’t be happy all the time, he doesn’t want to be happy all the time.

At home Yuri shakes off those thoughts and skips into the house. “Yuya!” He hollers, “Come down here and take me out for coffee, I need caffeine!”

There’s the sound of thunderous footsteps, and three boys who are most definitely not Yuya get up in Yuri’s space.

“Where exactly are you going?” Sora asks, wide-eyed. His phone in front of him with a map app open.

Yuri answers, “My favorite café.”

“Yeah but what’s the name of it?” Yugo asks. “You never told us.”

“Did you ask Serena yet?” Yuri asks.

Yuto scowls. “We did but she’s not answering.”

Yuri laughs, “Well boys, too bad you’re grounded or you could come with us.”

“Aw, come on,” Sora whines, sliding up to Yuri and giving him puppy eyes. “We dueled for you!”

Yuri pats Sora’s head. “And I thank you for that. But I don’t need you in my space on my date.”

“Moooooom!” Yugo cries, “Yuri won’t tell us where he’s going!”

Yoko laughs. “Don’t whine to me, I’m not getting involved.”

Yuya finally comes downstairs, his cheeks pink and glaring at the trio gathered around Yuri. “Will you guys cut it out?”

“Can’t, it’ll grow right back!” Sora says.

“Alright, no more Lion King jokes!” Yuya orders. He grabs his shoes. “I’m ready, Yuri.”

“Do you have your wallet?” Yuri asks.

“Yes,” Yuya says.

“Good, then we can go.” He balances Stitch with his uninjured hand and offers his other arm to Yuya. Yuya links their arms and Yuri sees a flash and hears a camera shutter click.

“Sora!” Yuya and Yuri shout.

“Catch me if you can!” Sora cries, running away. “THIS IS GOING ON SNAPCHAT!”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “Let’s go before they turn into the paparazzi.”

As they walk, Yuya asks, “Do I look okay? I wasn’t sure if I should dress up.”

He’s wearing a white shirt and dark blue jeans, jeans which miraculously have no holes or slashes in them.

“I think you look fine,” Yuri says. “I didn’t get dressed up.”

“No, but you always look good.”

“Dear god,” Yuri groans. “Are you trying to pick me up or something?”

“We’re on a date,” Yuya says, “I think I’ve already picked you up.”

“No, I picked you up,” Yuri says smugly.

Yuya frowns. “Wait, I was the one who asked you out.”

Yuri laughs, “Yeah but I picked the day and place.”

“Oh is that how it works?”

“Indeed,” Yuri says. “And I’m better looking.”

Yuya laughs and Yuri says, “Excuse me, is that funny?”

Yuya arranges his face into a serious expression. “No, of course not.” Then he laughs again, and Yuri joins him.

At the café, Yuri has only to walk in the door before he’s surrounded by the employees, all of whom exclaim over his hand.

“Serena told us you got hurt,” Haruka, says. “She said that Stitch got hurt too, and she and your friends got the guys who did it to you, is it true?”

Yuri nods. “Yes, one of them pushed me and I fell on some glass. Stitch tried to protect me and the other guy kicked him.”

There are cries of outrage and shock.

“We’re both okay,” Yuri says with a smile. “I’ll get the stitches out of my hand soon, and Stitch is pretty much back to his old self.”

All the staff still look worried. Yuri passes Stitch to Haruka. “See?” He says as he licks her face, “He’s totally normal.”

Haruka relaxes slightly. She and her sister, Runa, fuss over Stitch and Runa goes to get some of the dog treats they keep behind the counter for when Stitch comes to visit.

“And you?” Gou asks, looking at Yuri’s hand. “No issues with healing, no infections?”

“None at all,” Yuri assures. He feels his smile fade. “Well, I’ll have a scar, probably, but it’s not so bad.”

Lena looks close to tears. “You poor thing,” she says, “Who would do something like that?”

“If there’s anything we can do, you just let us know.” Gou says.

Yuri smiles. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, allow me to introduce you all to Yuya Sakaki.”

Even though Yuya is still right next to Yuri, the staff all look over as if they just noticed him.

“Yuya Sakaki?” Gou echoes, “Aren’t you the favorite to win the proper tournament that the Akaba family is hosting?”

Yuya blushes. “I…yes?”

“And he was a Lancer,” Runa says. “And he invented Pendulum summoning, and he’s the leader of the next generation of dueltaining.”

“She goes on and on about you,” Yuri says. “Bit annoying, actually.”

Runa sticks her tongue out at Yuri. Yuri sticks his tongue out right back.

“Are you two on a date?” Haruka asks, craning away from Stitch’s tongue.

Yuri nods.

Haruka lets out a joyous hoot. “Well hot damn, it’s about time, you’ve only been mooning over him with Serena for months now!”

Yuri blushes. “Haruka!”

“Well I can’t help but overhear you kids!” She says innocently.

Gou claps his hands. “Alright everyone, back to your stations and wash your hands if you were fussing over Stitch, we got work to do.”

Haruka hands Stitch back to Yuri and the staff scatter. Yuri sighs and shakes his head. “What a fuss.” But secretly he enjoyed every minute of it.

Yuya grins and they walk up to the counter. “So, what would you like?”

Gou winks and says, “I can put this on the house, if you want.”

“And deprive my date of the honor of paying for me?” Yuri asks.

Yuya snorts. “Travesty.”

Yuri orders his usual coffee, a chocolate chip muffin, and a fruit bowl. Yuya orders a latte and two cookies. When Gou asks what kind of cookies he wants, Yuya asks to be surprised.

“What happens if you don’t like what you get?” Yuri asks as Yuya hands over his debit card.

Yuya shrugs. “I don’t know, but I like being surprised.”

Yuri is baffled, but it’s so Yuya that he also completely understands.

They sit at a table in the back of the café, by the window, and when they sit down Haruka points to them and yells, “That’s where Serena and Yuzu sat on their first date! It’s the magic table, I tell you!”

Yuri feels his cheeks heat up. “You are so nosey!”

Haruka laughs.

Yuya reaches across the table and takes Yuri’s hand. “So, how long have you been coming here, exactly?”

Yuri has to think about it. He found the café not long after his attempt at suicide. He’d been walking aimlessly, found himself staring at the café’s display of baked goods. Gou invited him in, and when Yuri said he couldn’t because he had a service animal, Gou said it was okay, the café welcomed service animals.

“Almost a year?” Yuri guesses. It feels like that.

“Wow,” Yuya says. “And you know everyone?”

Yuri nods. “Gou is a barista and the manager, his boyfriend Tim is also a barista as well as Haruka, and her sister Runa is a cashier and server, god willing she never touches a drink. Lena and Jamie are bakers.”

“I heard that,” Runa says, coming over with a tray.

“Not like it isn’t true,” Yuri teases.

“Well, yeah,” Runa admits. She winks at Yuya. “Don’t worry, I didn’t mix these drinks.”

Yuya laughs and thanks her when she places their food down.

Runa points to the cookies on Yuya’s plate. “Obviously this one is a black and white, and the other one is a red velvet cookie, a new flavor we just added to the menu.”

“I love red velvet!” Yuya says.

“Well, let us know if it’s good in cookie form,” Runa says as she goes back to the counter.

Of course, Yuya thinks the cookies are delicious. He shares with Yuri, and Yuri shares with Yuya. Stitch sits at Yuri’s feet and gnaws on the large biscuit that Haruka gave him, and for a while Yuri and Yuya engage in light conversation. Then Yuya’s face turns serious.

“Is your hand bothering you?” He asks. “You keep glancing at it.”

Yuri bites his lip. “Bothering me? Well…yes, but not because it hurts.”

Yuya looks puzzled.

Yuri sighs, “A plastic surgeon took a look at the scars and said he could make them…heal better, or something, so that they wouldn’t be as noticeable. But I’m not sure I want them to be less noticeable. I told m—Yoko about it…”

“You can call her mom,” Yuya says.

“Even to you?” Yuri asks.

Yuya nods. “I really don’t mind.”

Yuri finds himself sidetracking. “But people will talk.”

“What people?” Yuya asks.

Yuri shrugs. “Anyone who looks into your family. They’ll wonder why you’re dating your foster sibling.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t bother me. Does it really bother you?”

Yuri shrugs again. He looks down at the table. “I just…I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me anymore. I don’t want anyone to think badly of you or…our family, because of me.”

Yuya reaches across the table and takes Yuri’s uninjured hand. “Yuri, do you want my parents to adopt you, officially?”

Yuri clears his throat. “I don’t know.”

Yuya squeezes Yuri’s hand gently. “Forget about the rest of the world, for a second. Pretend nobody else would ever know.”

Yuri closes his eyes. His heart physically aches. “Yes,” he says quietly.

“Then Yuri, that’s all that matters,” Yuya says.

“We’d have the same last name,” Yuri says. “We’d be brothers, legally.”

Yuya is quiet for a minute, and Yuri looks up. Yuya is smiling.

“You know something?” Yuya says, “We saved four worlds. We stopped a madman from destroying everything in this universe. I lost so many friends, I lost time with my parents, you lost your whole childhood and your innocence. We’re going to need a lot more time to recover from that. And I think, that after all that, if the world has the audacity to judge you for wanting to be adopted and then judge both of us for being in a relationship, then we have the right to tell those people to fuck off and leave us alone.”

Yuri laughs. “Okay, when you put it like that it doesn’t sound bad.”

“It’s not bad,” Yuya says. “We’re not hurting anyone. We’re not taking advantage of each other. I know that being adopted would make you so happy, and being with you, like this, it makes me happy.”

Yuri feels like he could melt into a puddle of feelings, as physically and scientifically impossible as that would be. “Wow. Okay well…that just makes everything seem so much better.”

“Including your hand?” Yuya prompts.

Yuri looks down at it. “I was thinking it wouldn’t be fair for me to do something about the scars,” Yuri says. “Everyone else has them and…I was on the other side of the war for so long that it seemed unfair for me to be the only one who didn’t have that physical reminder. And I know you don’t think about it that way and probably no one else does, I just…sometimes I feel like it’s too much for me to always think positively. Sometimes I want to be sad about everything that happened, and angry. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop being angry.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry for unloading this on you.”

“It’s okay,” Yuya says. “I get it.”

Yuri is surprised. “You do?”

Yuya lets go of Yuri’s hand and rolls up the sleeve on his t-shirt to show Yuri a long, white scar on his shoulder.

“Was that me?” Yuri blurts.

“No,” Yuya says gently, “It happened way before I met you, I don’t even remember which duel it happened in but it was early on.” He rolls his sleeve back down. “When we all got those examinations in the first week, I got told the same thing, that there were treatments I could get to make it fade. Even old scars can be helped nowadays. And I turned down that chance because part of me wanted that reminder that I had been through hell. Some days it just…it doesn’t seem real to me, what happened. Even with four more people in the house and the memory of what I saw…sometimes I wake up and it feels impossible that I made it out of all that alive. Dr. Aki says it’s like derealization. I just start thinking that it was a crazy dream. The scar may remind me of terrible things, but it also grounds me. It reminds me that this didn’t just happen inside of my head. It was real, I saw it, and everything I’m going through now, it was real.”

“That makes sense,” Yuri says.

“It may not be the same reason you want your scar,” Yuya says, “But I sympathize with the sentiment behind it. Sometimes you want that justification for your anger and sadness.”

Yuri swallows past a lump in his throat. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

Yuya grins. “I can hazard a guess.” He holds out his hand, palm up, and Yuri takes it.

They’ve finished their food and Yuya is about to carry the dirty dishes to the counter when Gou comes charging over and says he’ll take care of it. He shoos the two of them out the door, saying not-so-subtly that it’s a great day for a walk in the park. So that’s where Yuya and Yuri head next, since he is right and there is a park nearby.

They find a nice spot off the paths, surrounded by trees which means that no one is playing Frisbee or soccer. Stitch has a great time sniffing around, and Yuya lays down in the grass.

“That’s gross,” Yuri says. “Do you know how many dogs have probably peed there?”

“It rained yesterday, I’m sure it’s clean,” Yuya says.

“I’m sure that’s not how that works.”

But Yuya whines and holds out his hand, so Yuri takes it and lets Yuya tug him down. Yuri lays on Yuya’s chest, his head tucked against Yuya’s neck.

“By the way, Yuri?”

“What?” Yuri asks.

He can hear the grin in Yuya’s voice when he says, “Remember when you told me you wish you could be more like me and be nicer to strangers? It seems like you may be better at that than you think. All those people in the café were once strangers to you, but it seems to me like you’re really good friends with them now.”

Yuri sits up and stares at Yuya in shock. He’s about to say that it doesn’t count but…it kind of does. After all, Yuri didn’t know them when he walked in, when they saw the bruises from the IV on his arm and asked if he was okay, when Yuri confessed that he felt lost, and they gave him coffee and food and said it was okay, he wasn’t alone in that feeling. They were barely on a first name basis when Yuri let the staff play with Stitch, back when he was still called En and Yuri was still so shy around people, so afraid of their judgments. But he opened up to them, and they opened up to him, too.

“Holy shit,” Yuri says. “You’re right.”

Yuya laughs. “I wish you could see your face!” He cries, holding his stomach with how hard he’s laughing. “Oh my god, Yuri!”

Yuri blushes, but he has to laugh, too. Yuya sits up and hugs Yuri, and muffles his giggles against Yuri’s shoulder. Yuri closes his eyes and presses his face against Yuya’s neck. He can feel Yuya’s voice against his cheek, he can smell the shampoo Yuya uses. Yuri has wanted to be Yuya for a long time, but now that he’s like this, so close to Yuya, surrounded by Yuya, Yuri just wants to be the person who made Yuya so happy. And that person was himself.

“Yuya?”

“Yes?” Yuya asks, a little breathless, and Yuri’s heart skips a beat.

Yuri asks quietly, “Are you going to kiss me?”

Yuya leans back. His face is flushed from laughing, and his eyes are bright and playful. “I think maybe you should kiss me.”

Yuri sputters, “Oh, come on! Do I have to do everything?”

“Well,” Yuya drawls, “In that case, maybe we should just kiss each other at the same time.”

Yuri says, “Well if you kiss me or I kiss you we’ll both kiss each other, so it doesn’t matter who—” He stops, and glares at Yuya. “Oh, you did that on purpose.”

“Maybe,” Yuya says.

Yuri’s heart races, and he wonders if the earth can just open up and swallow him so he’ll stop blushing, but he wraps his arms around Yuya’s shoulders and moves closer to Yuya. Yuya leans forward, and when he’s so close that Yuri could count his damn eyelashes if he wanted to, Yuri closes his eyes.

He feels like a firework goes off in his chest when Yuya kisses him. Something explodes within him, some kind of warm feeling that he’s never felt before. Yuya pulls back much too quickly for Yuri’s liking. He inhales, and the sound of it, the sound of Yuya breathing, sends Yuri’s heart fluttering.

“Jesus Christ,” Yuri mutters.

“That is not my name,” Yuya says.

Yuri opens his eyes so he can look at Yuya in disbelief. “Oh you just…you be quiet,” Yuri says, and he proceeds to shut Yuya’s mouth with his own mouth, telling himself it’s for science, so he can figure out what he’s feeling.

Happy, Yuri decides when Yuya sighs against his mouth, and sucks softly on his bottom lip. Happy and…satisfied.

‘ _Oh,_ ’ Yuri realizes. ‘ _This is what it feels like to get something you’ve wanted for a really, really long time, and learn that it’s even better than you could hope._ ’

 

Yuri and Yuya go home a few hours later, holding hands, cheeks pink and both of them grinning widely.

“Ready for the interrogation?” Yuya asks when they get to the front door.

Yuri nods. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Yuya opens the door.

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t believe I wrote that. After all that angst I didn’t know I had something so fluffy in me. I blame Yuri. He’s doing this to me.
> 
> 'he proceeds to shut Yuya’s mouth with his own mouth, telling himself it’s for science...'
> 
> YURI WHY ARE U LIKE THIS. WHY AM I LIKE THIS.


End file.
